Method of making circular wrought-metal blanks.



No. 881,398. Q PATENTED MAR. 10, 1908. J. M. HANSEN.

METHOD OF MAKING CIRCULAR WROUGHT METAL BLANKS.

APPLICATION FILED nu 1 19 906 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

FIG-6 WITNESSES. van-r0 2 'II U III' m jr $122 I'LL W No. 881,898. PATENTED MAR. 10, 1908. J. M. HANSEN.

METHOD OF MAKING CIRCULAR WROUGHT METAL BLANKS.

- APPLIGATION IILED MAY 19. 1906.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

WITNESSES. )NVENTOR. .6? WW I e M Z412; Lfifi therefore adds materially UNITED STA IfnTENT OFFICE.

JOHN M. HANSEN, OF ITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA. ASSIGNOR TO FORGED STEEL WllElCl. (OMIAN Y, 01 PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

METHOD OF MAKING CIRCULAR WROUGHT-METAL BLANKS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 10, 1908.

Application filed Kay 19 1906. Serial No. 317,740.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN M. IIANSEN, a resident of Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Penns lvania, have invented a new and useful mprovement in Methods of Making Circular Wrought-Metal Blanks; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

This invention relates to a method of formng circular wrought metal blanks, and especially circular steel blanks to be afterwards formed into car and like wheels.

The object of the invention is to provide a method of forming such blanks which avoids the production of scrap or other waste of metal. v

One of the difficulties encountered in the manufacture of wrought steel car wheels and other circulararticles is the somewhat excessive cost, this being due to a considerable extent to the difficulty and expense of producing the circular blanks necessary for this method of manufacturing car wheels. The eneral ways of producing such circular )lanks have consisted in cutting or blanking the circular-blank from a slab of metal, or taking a square slab or bloom and shearing the same to circular form. In both of these methods there is produced a large amount of scrap which has a low market value and to the cost of the finished product;

My invention has for its object to overcome the objections and difiiculties above mentioned in the production of circular wrought metal blanks.

The invention consists, generally stated, in taking a polygonal slab or bloom, preferably a square one, heating the same, and then subjecting its edges to a rolling action while confining the metal'of 'said edges against sidewise flow, thereby gradually eliminating the angles and producing a circular blank without formation of scrap and at a minimum labor cost. Preferably the initial slab or bloom is square, as this form can be sheared from a large sized slab inexpensively and without waste.

In the accompanying drawings Figure l is a perspective view illustrating the forming of the initial slab or bloom; Fig. 2 illustrates the slab and heating the initial blank; Fig. 3 is a horizontal section of suitable apparatus for converting the initial blank to circular shape Fig. 4 is a. transverse section of the apparatus on the line 44, Fig. 3, showing the commencement of the operation; Fi 5 is a'similar view illustrating the comp etion'ol' the operation; and Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the finished blank.

In carrying out the, invention I start with such a slab or bloom as can be most conveniently and cheapl obtained or produced, preferably a square s ab, as this can be easily cut from a long rolled slab without the pro-' duction. of scrap or other-waste, and hem-e can be produced or obtained at a low cost. Fig. 1 illustrates rolls 1 for forming a long slab 2 which is severed by a shear 3 square slabs 4 which form the initial blanks for my process. Such blanks are then raised to a good forging heat, as in a suitable l'urnace 5, shown in Fig. 2, and are then converted' into' circular form. effected by various forms of apparatus, that shown in the drawings bein merely illustrative of a form suitable for t is purpose.

The essentials of the apparatus comprise suitable clamping lates or disks 6 and T between which the blhnk 4 is held and, preferably, by means of which said blank is rotated. The plates or disks 6 and 7 preferably are larger than the blank 4 so that no portion of the latter projects beyond said plates or disks, for reasons which will hereinafter appear. Cooperating with these clamping plates or disks is a suitable roll or rolls 8 arranged to act against the edge of the blank and reduce the angles thereof, the same being sufficiently narrow to pass between the plates or disks 6 and 7 and engage the ed es of the blank, and are arranged to be grai ually fed toward the axis of the disk as the reduction progresses.

lank projects beyond the plates or disks 6 and 7 the metal is confined against side llow and therefore must llow peripherally of the blank. The clamping plates 6 and 7 and roll or rolls 8 are so arranged as to cause the roll to travel around the periphery of the blank, either by holding the disks stationary and causing the roll or rolls to travel in an orbital ath around the same, but preferably by liolding the roll or rolls stationary'and rotating the clamping plat-esor disks. The latter llliu This may be ing an annu between the e arran ement is shown in the drawings, each carbon or hardness in different parts of the of said plates being providednith journals 9 slab from which the blank is rol ed, bv rolland 10, one or both of which are connected to suit able driving means, such as a shat t 11 leading to an engine or other suitable motor. In order to clamp the blank tightly between these disks one thereof, such as the disk I, has I ing down the corner ortions of the blank and carrying the metal around the same this dilliculty is overcome through the distribution of the surface metal around the periphery of the blank, giving an outer layer of its journal connected to suitable forcing l substantially the same hardness throughout. mechanism, that shown in the drawing com- 1 (lrcular blanks formed according to this prising a hydraulic cylinder 12 whose piston process therefore lend themselves peculiarly 13 is connected to the journal 10 by a suitable connector which permits the free rotation of the journal, the connector shown comprising suitable fin ers 14 on one of the parts engagdar groove 15 in the other part.

The roll or rolls 8 must be fed toward the axis of the blank as the reduction progresses.

Various manners of mounting the roll or rolls for this purpose will readily suggest themselves, the drawings showmg' said rolls mounted in yokes 17 on the ends of the piston rods 18 of the hydraulic cylinders 19 by means ofwhich the rolls, 8 are forced inwardly at the desired speed and to thedesired extent.

In carrying out in process the non-circular initial blank, pre erably square as shown, is first raised to a good rolling heat and is then clamped centrally between the lates or disks 6 and 7, being so firmly held etween the same that it rotates therewith and the metal is a solutely confined a ainst fiowin sidewise. he disks with -t 1e containe blank are then rotated and the rolls 8 brought es of said disks and in contact with the em go of the blank. Said rolls first strike the angles of the blank, as shown in Fi 4, reducing the same and causing the meta to flow peripherally of the blank. The rolls are gradually fed inwardly thus further and further reducing the angles of the blank until it is brought to circular or ap roximately circular shape and of even thickness, as shown in Fig. 5, when the operation ceases and the blank is'removed for further operations of forming the wheel. a

It is well known that the action of rolls on metal causes the metal to flow longitudinally of the travel of the surface of the rolls. The action of the rolls 8 therefore causes afree flow of the metal with which it comes incontact perii lililerallyl of the blank in front of the rolls to up t on the blank and reducing the angles, and so bringing it to circular form.

. By the process described a square or other irregularly shaped blank can be quickly and inexpensively reduced to circular form without the formation of an scrap whatsoever and without ex anding t ie metal and straining the fiber t ereol'. On the contrary the metal is com ressed, condensed, and its fiber stren hene es cially at the periphery of the b ank. If tiir ere is any variation in the e flat or depressed portions forged or rolled metal slab or blan erally and producing the circular blan of circular or curved outline consisting inheating the metal blank and while confining the sides of the blank so as to prevent thickening thereof subjecting the projecting portions of the edge thereof to )ressure and thereby causing the metal of t e projecting portions to fill u the low portions and produce a circular b ank.

2. The method of reducing polygonal or irregularly shaped metal blanks to circular or curved form, consistin i-n confining the metal at the edge of the lank against side fiow ,'and while so confining the same subjecting the projecting portions of said ed e to pressure to cause the metal to flow perip orally and produce the circular blank.

3. The method of transforming a polygonal forged or rolled metal slab or blank into one of circular or curved outline, consisting in heating the blank, confining the metalat the edge of'such blank against side flow, and while so confining the same subjecting said edge to rolling )rcssure, thereby causing the metal in the pro ecting )ortions to flow eriphorally and producing t 1e circular bla'Iiir.

4. The'method of transformin apolygonal a: into one of circular or curved outline,.consisting inheating such'blank, rotating the same'while confining the metal of the edges against side.

flow, and subjectin the edge thereofto rolling pressure, there y causing the metal in the projecting portions to How peripherally and produce the circular blank.

5. The method of transforming apolygonal.

forged or rolled metal slab or blank into one of circular or curved outline, consisting in heating such-blank, then subjecting the edge thereo to a rolling action while confining the metal at the edges against side flow, and gradually extendingsaid rolling action toward the center of the blank, thereby causing the metal in the angles to flow geriph- 6. The method of transforming a polygonal forged or rolled metal slab or blank into one of circular or curved outline, consisting in heating such blank, clamping the same between lates which extend beyond the edge thereof to rolling pressure while confining the 10 thereo and then subjectingthe edge of said metal at the edge a ainst side flow. hlank to a-rolling action and gradually ex- In testimony wlereof I the said JOHN lsailil rolling aetion toward the center M; HANSEN, have hereunto set my hand. w5ote an.

7. Tlievrnethod of forming circular wrought JOHN N metal blankyconsisting in cuttin a polyg- Witnesses; onal blank from a rolled metal sla heating 7 F. W. WINTER,

. said blank; and then subjecting the edge ROBERT C. To'rmN. 

